The paper summarises the formation process of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s (PC(USA)) polity regarding the ordination and/or installation of partnered gays and lesbians as officers, i.e. deacons, elders and ministers of the Word and Sacrament, in light of General Assemblies' decisions and General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commissions' ecclesiastical rulings since the 1970s.

Keywords: 'definitive guidance'; gay/lesbian ordination; General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission; The Book of Confessions;the Book of Order

Anderson, J.D., 1994, The Lesbian and Gay Liberation Movement in the Churches of the United States, 1969-1993. With Special Reference to Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns, 1974-1993, viewed on 28 March 2009, from http://www.mlp.org/resources/history.html [ Links ]

UPCUSA, 1978a, The Church and Homosexuality: Policy Statement on Homosexuality, Office of the General Assembly, Louisville. [ Links ]

UPCUSA, 1978b, The Church and Homosexuality:Preface, Office of the General Assembly, Louisville. [ Links ]

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Vermaak, R.F., 2009, 'A historical study of the polity of the gay and lesbian ordination and/or installation, and same-gender marriage debates in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its predecessor churches', PhD thesis, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed on 10 October 2009, from http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-07042009-213526 [ Links ]

Vermaak, R.F., 2010 [in press], 'The historical development of Presbyterian ordination polity as background to the gay and lesbian ordination debate in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)', Verbum et Ecclesia 31(1).